ADVOCACY

Advocacy During an Election Year: Best Practices & Pitfalls to Avoid

With the Health Center Funding Cliff looming on the horizon and the election only a few weeks away, this is an ideal time for advocates to ramp up their efforts to make the case for continued support and funding of Health Centers. However, because there is an election underway, it is important for Health Centers to be aware of what they can and cannot do as 501c3 non-profit organizations. The IRS has long-standing restrictions on the advocacy and political activity of 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporations. Click here for best practices and pitfalls to avoid as shared by Marc Wetherhorn, NACHC's former Senior Director of Advocacy & Civic Engagement and current Project Director of Community Health Vote.

Save the Date: National Teleforum Introducing Phase Two of the Access is the Answer Campaign to Take Place October 14

Health Center advocates are invited to participate in this important call on Tuesday, October 14 at 2 pm ET regarding phase two of the Access is the Answer campaign. Please mark your calendar to join the teleforum to get the latest updates from NACHC on the campaign and learn what steps you can take this fall to ensure the continued success of the Health Center program. Click here to sign-up to receive the call on October 14 at 2 pm ET, or join directly by dialing 1.877.229.8493 and entering PIN 15035.

MPCA NEWS

Through a technical review of proposals, staff from Michigan Primary Care Association, Centering Healthcare Institute, and the Michigan Department of Community Health have selected three Michigan Health Centers to receive start-up funding for participating in the CenteringPregnancy® Model of Care & Learning Community. Congratulations to Health Delivery, Inc., Family Health Center of Battle Creek, and Hackley Community Care Center. Click here to learn more about the CenteringPregnancy® Model of Care and Learning Community.

Three Days Left to Register for 2014 Putting the Pieces Together for Comprehensive Care Conference

This Friday, October 10 is the deadline to register for MPCA's "Putting the Pieces Together for Comprehensive Care" Conference. Don't miss out - register today to join us October 15 at the Radisson Plaza Hotel & Suites in Kalamazoo. MPCA has submitted the application for social work, physician, dental provider, and nursing continuing education. Click here for the conference agenda, which includes general and breakout sessions, as well as poster presentations. All disciplines will be addressed and highlighted during each session to provide a comprehensive look at patient care. #PutPieces2gether14

MPCA is Hiring

MPCA is hiring for the positions of Program Consultant-Revenue Cycle; Program Coordinator-Access; and Program Intern-Outreach, Education & Enrollment. Click here to learn more, and please share these open positions with others whom you think would be interested.

Please note that you must be logged in to MPCA’s online community when registering for MPCA-hosted events to receive a discounted rate if your organization is an MPCA member. If you are subscribed to the MPCA eUpdate, you have a profile in MPCA's online community. If you have forgotten your password, please use the "forgot password" link under the sign-in box to reset your password. If you need further assistance, please contact info@mpca.net.

Developing & Nurturing Relationships with Your Local Media (conference call of the MPCA Communications Network)October 22, 2014, 10-11 am ETRSVP to Dana Lawrence and you will be sent the call-in information

MPCA posts job openings at Michigan Health Center Program grantees, Michigan FQHC Look-Alikes, and MPCA active member organizations. To submit a job opening for posting in the online MPCA Career Center and in the MPCA eUpdate, email the job title, a brief overview, a bulleted list of qualifications, and instructions on how to apply to info@mpca.net with Job Posting in the subject field.

NCQA Publishes Health Plan Rankings

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) recently published this year’s health plan rankings, including a category of rankings devoted to Medicaid managed care organizations. NCQA rankings are based on a health plan's overall score on a scale of 1-100 across three subcategories: consumer satisfaction, prevention, and treatment. Michigan has three plans in the top 20: Meridian Health Plan (9th, 85), Priority Health (11th, 84.4) and Upper Peninsula Health Plan (12th, 83.2). Click here for additional details and a breakdown by parent company which includes several other plans operated in Michigan available.

Bipartisan Majorities in Both U.S. Houses Call for Action to Address Funding Cliff

Last week letters were sent to Congressional leadership calling for a solution to the looming Health Center funding cliff. The letters were signed by bipartisan majorities in both the U.S. Senate and House. The Senate letter, co-led by Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), was signed by 66 Senators including Senator Carl Levin (D-MI). The House letter was signed by 250 Representatives including Reps. Dan Benishek (R-MI), John Conyers (D-MI), John Dingell (D-MI), Bill Huizenga (R-MI), Dan Kildee (D-MI), Gary Peters (D-MI), Sander Levin (D-MI), and Tim Walberg (R-MI). Read more

HRSA Announces $22.1 Million to Improve Access to Care in Rural Areas

On September 26, HRSA announced more than $22 million to support health care in rural areas, including funds that will provide resources and expertise for telehealth solutions, improve emergency medical services, and help communities build networks of care through seven grant programs. Among the Patient Centered Medical Home Facility Improvement Program grantees are Baldwin Family Health Care, MidMichigan Community Health Services, and InterCare Community Health Network (these Health Center awards were originally announced on August 26).

Upcoming 2014 UDS Trainings

The are several upcoming opportunities for Health Center staff to get information/training about calendar year 2013 UDS to be reported by Health Center program grantees in early 2014. HRSA is hosting four webinars: UDS for New Submitters (October 15), Introduction to UDS Clinical Measures (October 20), Introduction to UDS for Look-Alikes (October 22), and UDS Sampling Methods including Randomizer.org (November 6). MPCA is hosting an in-person one-day training in Lansing on December 3 - mark your calendar and watch for more information and registration to open soon.

Effective September 1, 2014, a dedicated Foster Care Psychotropic Medical Oversight Unit was scheduled for full implementation to provide psychotropic medication oversight, review, and consultation regarding children in foster care. This new unit was established via the ongoing partnership between the Michigan Department of Human Services Child Welfare Medical Unit and the Michigan Department of Community Health Medical Services Administration.

Michigan Legislature Sends Human Trafficking Bills to Governor Snyder

The Michigan House and Senate finished work last week on 22 bills that call for policy changes intended to train law enforcement, educate the public, and protect victims of human trafficking. The bills were sent to Governor Rick Snyder for his signature. Read more

As has been reported in past issues of the MPCA eUpdate, the board of directors of the newly created Michigan Health Endowment Fund (MHEF) is hosting a series of listening tour sessions across the state to gain a deeper understanding of the health issues confronting Michigan residents, and to familiarize the public with the Fund. The MHEF was created through state law last year which authorized certain changes to how Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM) operates in the state. The law required the MHEF to be established as a separate, non-profit corporation and directed BCBSM to contribute up to $1.56 billion to the Fund over a period of 18 years. The MHEF's board of directors has already hosted three listening tours sessions, and the next sessions will take place October 14 (Grand Traverse Resort in Acme), October 20 (UAW-GM Center for Human Resources in Detroit), and November 21 (The Salvation Army Kroc Community Center in Grand Rapids). Click here to learn more and register to attend a session (sessions are open to the general public and representatives of health-related organizations).

Continuing education is being offered to nurses, physicians, and pharmacists who attend one of the 2014 Fall Regional Immunization Conferences hosted by the Michigan Department of Community Health - and the registration fee is just $50! The primary goal of the conferences is to update health care providers on immunization issues that affect people of all ages. The regional conferences are taking place October 7 (Marquette), October 9 (Gaylord), October 21 (Flint), October 23 (Dearborn), October 24 (Troy), November 18 (Grand Rapids), November 19 (Kalamazoo), and November 21 (East Lansing). Click here for more information and to register.

The City of Detroit Department of Health and Wellness Promotion in collaboration with the Michigan Department of Community recently announced that effective October 1, 2014, the Wayne State University School of Medicine, University Physician's Group will become the City of Detroit's Public Health provider for STD clinical services, HIV counseling and testing, and will also house the TB Elimination and Control program. Read more

News from the School Community Health Alliance of Michigan

MPCA's Director of State Policy, Doug Paterson, has been serving as the Interim Executive Director of the School Community Health Alliance of Michigan (SCHA-MI) while they search for a new executive director. The job has been posted and they are hoping to hire by the end of the year. In the meantime the SCHA-MI board of directors has completed an extensive strategic planning process that will solidify the role and functions of SCHA-MI for the foreseeable future. The four primary areas of focus for SCHA-MI are advocacy; technical assistance; information, data, and communication; and revenue maximization. As the future of health care evolves over the next several years, SCHA-MI is looking to build its capacity and reputation as an important health care provider and partner. They will be redesigning their website and communications strategy over the next few months. You can look forward to hearing from them.

The MPCA eUpdate is a weekly e-newsletter intended to keep Michigan Health Centers, MPCA members, partners, and friends updated on the latest happenings impacting Health Centers and providing care to the underserved. Please feel free to forward this to interested individuals, or they may request to be added to the distribution list by subscribing at www.mpca.net.

Information from outside organizations does not represent an endorsement by MPCA, and opinions expressed by outside authors are not necessarily official positions or policies of MPCA.MPCA's federal grant program titled "State and Regional Primary Care Associations” allows MPCA to provide technical assistance and support to Health Centers in Michigan and is 100% funded by federal dollars at a current annual level of $1,069,988.00.